In a surprise announcement today, Microsoft announced arrival of Cortana on Android and iOS. There are more announcements though and Microsoft has also announced a Windows 10 Phone companion app that works with Windows Phone, Android and iOS devices. There is more though and it seems there is a Cortana companion app that will connect Cortana on Android and iOS devices to PCs running Windows 10.
The Phone Companion app on Windows 10 PCs will help you setup a Windows phone, Android Phone, or iPhone to ensure your key Windows experiences—your photos, your music, your docs– move effortlessly wherever you do.
The updated Xbox Music app on Android and iPhone will enable free streaming playback of your music files and playlists from OneDrive, so all your music is available wherever you are.
A companion Cortana app for Android and iPhone connects the world’s only personal digital assistant from your PC to your phone… right there to buzz you for reminders, answer your questions, and be your personal helper not just on your PC but on your phone, too.
Watch the video below to see Cortana on Android and the two companion apps in action.
Though offering bit of a solace to Windows Phone owners, Microsoft has kept some of the Cortana experience limited to Windows Phone for now.
The Cortana app can do most of the things Cortana does on your PC or on a Windows phone. You can have Cortana remind you to pick up milk the next time you’re at the grocery store, and then your phone will wake up and buzz with the reminder. You’ll be able to track a flight using Cortana on both your phone and your PC, and get the updates on the device that you’re on so you don’t miss anything. Everything in Cortana’s Notebook will show up across all your devices and any changes you make on one device will be reflected when you use Cortana on any of your other devices. The Cortana companion app will help you complete tasks you begin on your PC wherever you are, on your phone.
Although the functionality will be very helpful, because it’s “just an app” there will be certain things that Cortana does on Windows phones that won’t work on Android devices or iPhones. Some features require access to the system that aren’t currently possible with iOS or Android, so things like toggling settings or opening apps won’t initially be available in the Cortana companions for those platforms. Similarly, the ability to invoke Cortana hands-free by saying “Hey Cortana” requires special integration with the device’s microphone, so that feature will be limited to Windows Phones and PCs.
Availability:
Join the Windows Insider Program to try out the Phone Companion app on a new Windows 10 Insider Preview build we’ll flight out in a few weeks. The Cortana companion will be available for Android phones at the end of June and for iPhones later this year. The updated Xbox Music app for Android and iPhone will be available in late June or July of this year, with “beta” functionality to enable streaming of OneDrive music content.
